About David & Nicky

A professional couple, married for 34 years, we recently retired and decided life was too short not to have some adventures, so have embarked on what we call our "reverse gap year" of travel and discovery.

David was most recently CEO of a not-for-profit (200 employees and 100 volunteers), after a career as Company Director and Management Consul...

A professional couple, married for 34 years, we recently retired and decided life was too short not to have some adventures, so have embarked on what we call our "reverse gap year" of travel and discovery.

David was most recently CEO of a not-for-profit (200 employees and 100 volunteers), after a career as Company Director and Management Consultant (business development and strategy). Nicky was a recruiter until 2013, having run her own agency with 130 temps on assignment at its peak. She is now a professional bird artist, specialising in realistic oil paintings of Australian bird life (www.nickyshelton.com.au).

These careers required an ability to manage all sorts of situations, as it has been raising two children to adulthood and successful careers of their own. One of the reasons for travel to Europe is that they have both relocated here to further their careers.

We see ourselves as capable, positive minded and reliable. If we agree to do something, you can rely on us to follow through.

Throughout our lives we have been pet owners and lovers with cats, dogs and birds regular members of our household. In her teens Nicky was a competitive horse rider, successfully competing in State eventing and showjumping arenas.

We have high standards and promise to look after your home and pets the way we would our own. We have rented our own home for 2 years and started our travels in London in July 2018 and have since completed several house sits with excellent feedback. Please take the time to read our reviews.

We are honest, respectful and ethical people, widely travelled and capable whom you can rely on to look after your home and pets.

Why we want to house sit

House and pet sitting gives the opportunity to better experience life in different locations, as compared to simply passing through. Longer term sits work better for us - as we want to get to know an area.

Looking after your pets gives us the companionship that we miss from our own, having had to foster out or much loved dog (Charlie) to a new home with friends. Our 14 year old cat (Bob) recently died from Lymphoma, and we miss them both.

During our travels, we have decided to spend some of our time house and pet sitting because we believe it offers a richer experience. We do it because we want to, not because we have to in order to afford our travels.

Our experience

Since leaving home in July of 2018 we have completed numerous assignments and received excellent reviews. Our current assignment in the South of France has us looking after 4 dogs and 5 cats, and is now drawing to a close.

We are responsible individuals that have high regard and respect for others, as demonstrated by our careers. We are also landlords who have managed our own investment properties over many years, so understand how to look after properties.We have learnt that it is very important to fully understand the requirements and to check any imbalance between verbal and written instructions.

Whatever it is that you need taken care of whilst you are away, you can rely on us to attend to it. Hopefully we provide you with the confidence that your affairs are held in good order so that you can enjoy your holiday (or take care of business if that is what takes you away).

Our personal standards are high and we will look after your home as if it were our own. Above all else – we are positive can-do types. If something needs doing, we will do it.

Our preference is to have a skype interview before accepting an assignment - as we know how important it is that there is a good fit.

Reviews (7)

Henri - Gaillac, France

14 October - 30 November 2018

Sometimes “star ratings” and categories on sites fail to tell the whole story, and so is the case with this (forgive the tortuous pun) stellar couple, Nicky and David

The care and attention they lavished on our ménagerie was outstanding and they obviously have a love and a natural rapport with a... + More

Sometimes “star ratings” and categories on sites fail to tell the whole story, and so is the case with this (forgive the tortuous pun) stellar couple, Nicky and David

The care and attention they lavished on our ménagerie was outstanding and they obviously have a love and a natural rapport with animals; all of ours (five cats and four dogs) were spoilt to the very tips of their whiskers.

Their attention to detail (dietary requirements, grooming, medical treatments, daily walks and cleaning of the utility room) was simply irreproachable and they were fun and a real delight to have around.

While we were away, Nicky and David provided us with regular updates and photos of pets that were clearly enjoying plenty of cuddles and walks.

We would welcome them back in a shot - not just as house sitters but as friends and, fo course, wholeheartedly recommend them as sitters.

Nicky and David, a massive “merci” from all of us here. Enjoy your time outside of “Shenzhen” (private joke) and don’t be shy about dropping in to see us when you head back to France. We would love to see you again.

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

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Patricia - Selkirk, United Kingdom

04 September - 20 September 2018

We struck gold with David and Nicky as our housesitters. They are incredibly kind, caring and conscientious sitters who looked after our two dogs, one cat and a horse and pony - and our home - with complete dedication and sensitivity. We felt extremely confident in them as house sitters and the... + More

We struck gold with David and Nicky as our housesitters. They are incredibly kind, caring and conscientious sitters who looked after our two dogs, one cat and a horse and pony - and our home - with complete dedication and sensitivity. We felt extremely confident in them as house sitters and they kept in very regular communication while we were away for a couple of weeks. They are a very likeable, capable and fun couple who we clicked with and got on with the minute we met. One of our dogs is completely blind and adds an extra 'worry' to the going away process, but we felt so happy having David and Nicky as sitters as we knew they would look after Millie and the other animals with just as much love and care as we do. They were also great with the horses; feeding and caring for them every day as well as doing the daily 'poo pick' clean up. They kept the grass cut and and also dealt with an unexpected storm situation where trees came down in our garden! We came back to an immaculate home and extremely happy animals. We were sad to see them leave and I'm sure we will keep up our contact. Cannot rate David and Nicky highly enough!

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

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Claire - Blairgowrie, United Kingdom

26 August - 02 September 2018

David and Nicky were fabulous house sitters and our dogs Otis and Gus adored them. They were very easy to communicate with before the sit and happy to chat via Skype and mobile to answer any questions etc which put our minds at rest that we had found lovely people to care for our dogs.They dogs... + More

David and Nicky were fabulous house sitters and our dogs Otis and Gus adored them. They were very easy to communicate with before the sit and happy to chat via Skype and mobile to answer any questions etc which put our minds at rest that we had found lovely people to care for our dogs.They dogs were beautifully looked after and our puppy was very well exercised and our older dog given plenty of TLC and we felt that they were in very safe hands.We were equally reassured that our house was in good hands and we returned to a very clean house with bed sheets already washed and fresh milk and bread which was all greatly appreciated.I would certainly recommend both David and Nicky as 5* house sitters and wish them the best for their future travels!

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

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View all Reviews (7)

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About David & Nicky

A professional couple, married for 34 years, we recently retired and decided life was too short not to have some adventures, so have embarked on what we call our "reverse gap year" of travel and discovery.

David was most recently CEO of a not-for-profit (200 employees and 100 volunteers), after a career as Company Director and Management Consultant (business development and strategy). Nicky was a recruiter until 2013, having run her own agency with 130 temps on assignment at its peak. She is now a professional bird artist, specialising in realistic oil paintings of Australian bird life (www.nickyshelton.com.au).

These careers required an ability to manage all sorts of situations, as it has been raising two children to adulthood and successful careers of their own. One of the reasons for travel to Europe is that they have both relocated here to further their careers.

We see oursel......

A professional couple, married for 34 years, we recently retired and decided life was too short not to have some adventures, so have embarked on what we call our "reverse gap year" of travel and discovery.

David was most recently CEO of a not-for-profit (200 employees and 100 volunteers), after a career as Company Director and Management Consultant (business development and strategy). Nicky was a recruiter until 2013, having run her own agency with 130 temps on assignment at its peak. She is now a professional bird artist, specialising in realistic oil paintings of Australian bird life (www.nickyshelton.com.au).

These careers required an ability to manage all sorts of situations, as it has been raising two children to adulthood and successful careers of their own. One of the reasons for travel to Europe is that they have both relocated here to further their careers.

We see ourselves as capable, positive minded and reliable. If we agree to do something, you can rely on us to follow through.

Throughout our lives we have been pet owners and lovers with cats, dogs and birds regular members of our household. In her teens Nicky was a competitive horse rider, successfully competing in State eventing and showjumping arenas.

We have high standards and promise to look after your home and pets the way we would our own. We have rented our own home for 2 years and started our travels in London in July 2018 and have since completed several house sits with excellent feedback. Please take the time to read our reviews.

We are honest, respectful and ethical people, widely travelled and capable whom you can rely on to look after your home and pets.

Why we want to house sit

House and pet sitting gives the opportunity to better experience life in different locations, as compared to simply passing through. Longer term sits work better for us - as we want to get to know an area.

Looking after your pets gives us the companionship that we miss from our own, having had to foster out or much loved dog (Charlie) to a new home with friends. Our 14 year old cat (Bob) recently died from Lymphoma, and we miss them both.

During our travels, we have decided to spend some of our time house and pet sitting because we believe it offers a richer experience. We do it because we want to, not because we have to in order to afford our travels.

Our experience

Since leaving home in July of 2018 we have completed numerous assignments and received excellent reviews. Our current assignment in the South of France has us looking after 4 dogs and 5 cats, and is now drawing to a close.

We are responsible individuals that have high regard and respect for others, as demonstrated by our careers. We are also landlords who have managed our own investment properties over many years, so understand how to look after properties.We have learnt that it is very important to fully understand the requirements and to check any imbalance between verbal and written instructions.

Whatever it is that you need taken care of whilst you are away, you can rely on us to attend to it. Hopefully we provide you with the confidence that your affairs are held in good order so that you can enjoy your holiday (or take care of business if that is what takes you away).

Our personal standards are high and we will look after your home as if it were our own. Above all else – we are positive can-do types. If something needs doing, we will do it.

Our preference is to have a skype interview before accepting an assignment - as we know how important it is that there is a good fit.